Mother of Suspect in Vitale Murder Arrested

MARTINEZ, Calif. – The mother of the suspect charged with the slaying of a prominent lawyer’s wife was arrested Thursday morning, FOX News has confirmed.

Esther Fielding was arrested on charges of accessory for murder and bail was set at $500,000, according to the Contra Costa (search) Sheriff’s Department.

Her son Scott Dyleski (search), 16, was charged Oct. 19 with first-degree murder for the death of Pamela Vitale, the wife of lawyer and TV pundit Daniel Horowitz (search).

Vitale’s body was found in a pool of her own blood on Oct. 15 with a four-inch stab wound to her abdomen in a mobile home on the Lafayette estate where she and husband were building their 7,000-square-foot dream home.

She also had a traumatic head injury and multiple wounds on her legs, and investigators found a bloody shoeprint on the lid of a storage container at the crime scene, according to an affidavit filed by the sheriff's deputy.

Details were released Thursday regarding what authorities believe a 16-year-old accused killer did after the murder of a defense attorney's wife in Lafayette.

An affidavit for a search warrant reveals that authorities believe Dyleski went to a friend's house after killing Vitale. The affidavit also says that friend told authorities Dyleski went to his girlfriend's house to have sex with her.

Deputies searched Dyleski’s home on Oct. 19 and seized two laptops, a computer central processing unit, bedding, knives and a duffel bag from Dyleski's house, just down the hill from Horowitz and Vitale's estate.

Also, a neighbor told Lafayette police that his credit card had been stolen and used to buy hydroponic growing equipment — often used to cultivate marijuana.

The equipment was scheduled for shipping to Horowitz and Vitale's address, according to the affidavit. The supplier withheld the shipment, believing the purchase was fraudulent.

The neighbor, Doug Schneider, contacted police because he believed the purchase may have been related to Vitale's murder, according to the affidavit, parts of which were sealed.

Authorities believe Dyleski went to the home looking for the equipment and got in a fight with Vitale, an investigative source speaking on condition of anonymity told the San Francisco Chronicle last week.